Backcountry Permits: Navigating Logistics and Disappointment in the Modern Technological Age

Good article.

There’s a lot of BLM land in the west. Getting access isn’t always possible and in many cases virtually impossible without vast local knowledge. Without groups like the Wildlands Conservancy and such, we would be completely cut off from most of it.

I can remember when you could just drive to the trail head at Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass)… the ranger would show up at 8am in the small ‘A-Frame’ shack (it’s still there) and issue permits. No advanced reservation required. If there was a quota, they never (or rarely) hit the limit. And I’m not sure there was any fee… though I do seem to remember at some point it was $2.00. There were not computers or Rec.gov involved… it was relaxed and easy, and few people on the trails..l

A big frustration in my part of the world (Seattle) has become that permits secured by others online are very often not used.  I have more than once gotten one of the last permits, from the ranger, for an area that has been reserved nearly full, and then found myself alone in some very desirable location.  The recreation.gov system needs some better way to incent cancellation when the winners ultimately do not use their reservations.  Simply refunding part of the fee is not working.

I finally gave up trying to get permits for Grand Canyon and paid big bucks ($1600 for a 4 day hike) to go with a guided trek. It was worth it, but not everyone can afford such a thing. I will probably never get Mt Rainier permits, nor a JMT, Yosemite exit permit. It’s hardly worth trying. I recently managed to get permits for the CDT in Glacier National Park, by doing a walkup and being totally flexible.

Strategy and ability to plan, having a loose itinerary/schedule, are all critical for success in popular areas. In the end it’s worth it if you get to go. But I echo the comment, “Something stinks in all of this privatization movement.” Rec.gov is raking in the dough for permit applications and then giving nothing for all that money when the attempt is unsuccessful. As with all concessionaires for our national parks, the companies only have to provide the minimum service and don’t really give a darn about the visitor experience at all. We need to demand better services from NPS and other agencies or nothing will ever improve.

I have not found Grand Canyon permits all that hard to get… if you are willing to pick the less popular trails… and those trails are also amazing! And fall is easier than spring. And you have the ability to apply for several options/dates all at the same time. And… they do have cancellations so sometimes it is possible to email or call the rangers and put together a trip on short notice.

Rainier holds back a percent of the permits for walk-up… and if you can be flexible re the camps, it is often possible to show up at the ranger station early in the morning and get on a trip the next day… I did that for the Wonderland once and it worked out great.

Yosemite out of Happy Isles is brutal… you can pay the 10.00 fee week after week and get nothing… but, again, there are less popular trails… maybe think outside the box and don’t need to do the exact JMT route out of Yosemite… much easier then to get a permit…